One of the most widely published misconceptions about livin’ la vida low-carb is that it people following this way of eating don’t eat any carbs at all and most of what you eat on that diet is meat. Of course, this is simply not true for just about every low-carb diet plan that exists, including Atkins, Hamptons, Protein Power, and South Beach. I like eating meat as much as the next low-carber, but it isn’t the ONLY thing I eat.
What would a diet be like that only consisted of meat, meat, and meat?
However, what about this idea of a ZERO CARB diet consisting of primarily meat? Is a zero carb, carniverous diet desirable or even healthy? That’s exactly what The Zero Carb Path blog is all about and I found the information provided on this web site to be fascinating to say the least.
The author of the blog is a man named Rob who said he began his meat-eating diet on February 23, 2006 after reading an essay entitled “Diet and Exercise” by a gentleman named Owsley “Bear” Stanley.
In that essay, Stanley laid the groundwork for how to most effectively turn the tide against the “widespread prevalence of obesity, diabetes and heart disease.”
“If there are no carbs in the diet, the body doesn’t need the ability to make insulin, so [diabetes] was no bother … Recently I have heard that there is a doctor in Hollywood who is putting entertainment people on this basic meat diet and getting phenomenal results in rapid weight reduction. The nice thing about this diet is that the human body does not seem to be able to store fat that is eaten in the food, so the fat you eat must be burned up. On the other hand, the body is totally unable to directly burn carbohydrates for energy, but must first convert them to fatty acids. (Guess where most of this fatty acid winds up!) … Many people think that carbs are “energy food”. Nothing could be further from the truth, but since insulin is highly simulating, the insulin rush feels like “energy” to the person who has just taken in some sugar. Actually the insulin stimulates all the fat storage cells in your body as well as your brain and the little buggers start to work overtime to remove the excess glucose from the blood as quickly as they can. It is one of the ironies of life that glucose, required by the brain in small, but constant amounts, should be deadly poisonous at a higher level! (Diabetic coma).”
There were plenty more eye-opening comments in that essay, but I think you get the gist of what he’s saying from the above excerpts. Stanley believes people should not only eat an all-meat, carb-free diet, but he contends it is the healthiest way to control your weight and the associated diseases that come from obesity. Hmmmm.
Rob took everything that Stanley wrote to heart in 1998 and lost over 120 pounds following this diet plan. Unfortunately, Rob was unable to sustain it over the long-term (“My experience was no different than perhaps thousands of people out there”) at the time and he gained all the weight back (I wonder if he just got bored with it — I know I would have!).
Now he has recommitted himself to this zero-carb diet yet again after re-reading all the personal e-mails he received from Stanley so he can attempt to lose weight yet again.
The “zero carb path” is rather simple with just these 5 rules to follow:
1. Eat only from the animal kingdom.
2. Avoid eating carby animal food, like lactose (dairy) and more than a very small, occasional, few ounces of liver. Do not measure what you eat and do not worry about variety.
3, Do as little cooking of your food as you can tolerate. Eat the fatty part preferentially in each meal first, then finish as much of the lean as you want. Leftovers will keep.
4. You do not need ‘recipes’ or ‘sample meals’ to follow. When away from home, no matter if it is a restaurant, family or friends, or business meal, eat only from the animal kingdom, avoid the rest, practice doing this unassumingly and make pleasant, distracting comments if bailed up on it.
5. Learn to politely refuse alcohol.
That’s it! That’s the ZERO CARB diet in a nutshell for you. Does this sound appealing to you? How about a zero carb, carniverous diet? Anyone? ANYONE?
While I applaud Rob for enthusiastically embracing this interesting new lifestyle change to help himself get his weight and health under control, I know I could NEVER do this zero-carb diet. I would miss fruits and vegetables too much! But I admire anyone who has the convictions of their heart to do this plan without any reservations at all. That’s a key ingredient to ANY weight loss program that is successful.
More power to ya, Rob! While I disagree with your “path” because I think you are depriving your body of essential nutrients you should be getting from foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and other low-carb staples, keep on livin’ la vida no-carb, my friend, if that’s what works for you.
Be sure to check out The Zero Carb Path blog for more information about this “meat”-y diet! 
